Noah taps his bottle against mine. “To surviving them.”
Simon hesitates, then joins in. “And not making them worse.”
We clink.
And even if half the things that matter still haven’t been said, for the first time in months, I don’t feel completely alone.
But then, of course, my phone vibrates, bringing me back to my reality.
Even in the middle of the ocean, I don’t have the luxury of ignoring it.
“I’m gonna head back down.” I push to my feet.
Rocky grins. “Without trying the cocktail of the day?”
“I’m never drinking with you again,” I say, grabbing my shirt.
“Yeah, careful,” Simon calls after me. “Who knows what else you’d put a hole through.”
Noah laughs. “Not sure he could do worse.”
“Funny,” I mutter, heading for the stairs.
DIG DEEPER
BECKETT
When I’m out of earshot, I pull out the phone.
“I’m on my way to the business center now,” I say quietly. “Any word on the break-in? This would’ve been a lot easier if I still had my laptop.”
There’s a pause on the line. Not long—but deliberate.
“It was our guys,” Sugar says finally. “Standard procedure. Protecting assets.”
For a second, I don’t process it.
“What?” I stop walking. “You broke into my place?”
“You were asleep,” she says, like that makes it better. “No harm done.”
No harm. “I would’ve handed everything over.”
Another pause.
“Not a risk they were willing to take. You’re lucky they let you leave the state.”
The corridor feels narrower all of a sudden. Too bright. Too open. I glance around without meaning to—at the passing guests, the crew member pushing a cart, a security camera mounted in the corner.
Are they watching me now?
The realization settles hard and cold: I’m not out of this yet.
“Well, like I said in my text. Candy needs more. See what you can find.”
“I’ve gone through all the emails. What exactly is she looking for?”
“Anything. You just need to dig deeper.”
